Japanese Woodblock Prints

A series of vintage woodblock prints featuring actors in traditional attire, dramatic scenes from plays, and intricate details showcasing Japanese artistry.

Sanjo Kokaji no manebigoto zu, Remake of the Noh play about the swordmaker Sanjo Kokaji., Utagawa, Kunisada, 1823-1880, artist, between 1848 and 1854, 1 print (3 sheets) : woodcut, color ; 34.8 x 23.5 cm (left panel), 35 x 24.7 cm (center panel), 34.8 x 23.9 cm (right panel), Print shows three actors as warrior/metalworkers hammering a sword.

Sanjo Kokaji no manebigoto zu, Remake of the Noh play about the swordmaker Sanjo Kokaji., Utagawa, Kunisada, 1823-1880, artist, between 1848 and 1854, 1 print (3 sheets) : woodcut, color ; 34.8 x 23.5 cm (left panel), 35 x 24.7 cm (center panel), 34.8 x 23.9 cm (right panel), Print shows three actors as warrior/metalworkers hammering a sword.

Artist: Nishikawa Sukenobu, Japanese, 1671-1751, A DomesticScene, 17th-18thcentury, Woodblock print, Sumi-e, sheet: 8 1/4 × 12 7/8 in. (21 × 32.7cm), Japan, Japanese, Edo period(1615-1868), Works on Paper -Prints

Actor Ogawa Tsuneyo in a Female Role, c. 1770-1790, Katsukawa Shunkō, Japanese, 1743 - 1812, 11 13/16 × 5 11/16 in. (30 × 14.5 cm) (image, sheet, hosoban), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan, 18th century

'Punishment of Dragon Dressing Gown'. China, City of Yanlyutsin, late 19th - early 20th century. Dimensions: 107x62 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Watanabe Yataro, Sasaki Toyokichi, Japan, Yoshitoshi, Tsukioka, Separation of Yoshitsune and Shizuka gozen in the Yoshino Mountains, 1892, Yoshino ni Shikuza hangan betsuri ga, print, triptych, prints, Japan (collection), height 356 mm, width 705 mm, Japanese, 1839 - 1892, print maker, 1886 - 1886, fourth quarter 19th century, paper, silver powder, bronze powder, color woodcut, embossing, Publication (Event), Publication, publisher, 1850 - 1913, printmaker

Seated Prostitute and her Attendant, first half 18th century, Miyagawa Chōshun, Japanese, 1682 - 1752, 11 13/16 x 18 1/2 in. (30 x 47 cm) (image)43 1/2 x 23 1/4 in. (110.5 x 59 cm) (mount) w 63.5 cm w/roller, Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gofun on silk, Japan, Nikuhitsu ukiyo-e, A prostitute seated in a relaxed position on a game board watches her young attendant cut up what must be a medicinal substance or perfume before placing it in a lacquered box.

Sanemori, from the series Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue) 1893-1903 Japan. Color woodblock print . Tsukioka Kôgyo

Woman Adjusting Pillow, right sheet of the triptych Admiring the Peony Garden. Date: 1849-1851. Dimensions: 38 cm x 26 cm. Museum: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Author: UTAGAWA KUNISADA.

Print of a Kabuki Dancer from the Maiden of the Dōjōji Temple (Musume Dōjōji) ca. 1810s Utagawa Toyokuni I Japanese. Print of a Kabuki Dancer from the Maiden of the Dōjōji Temple (Musume Dōjōji) 54449

The Courtesans Utagawa and Nanasato of the Yotsumeya brothel in the Yoshiwara, accompanied by their attendants, circa 1784 woodblock Santo Kyoden

The Uota Restaurant: (Actor Ichikawa Ebizō V as) Tarōzaemon. Utagawa Hiroshige (Japan, Edo, 1797-1858)Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) (Japan, Edo, 1786-1865). 1853, 1st month. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Court ladies variously occupied,', 1730, Woodcuts

Samurai in a large straw hat and quilted kimono, satirical commentary on samurai visiting Yoshiwara; title: Tanzen sugata" (Posture in quilted kimono). Yoshitoshi, Tsukioka (1839-1892), graphic artist

Kunisada, B, work, Actors Ichikawa Danzo VI, Kataoka Ichizo and Bando Tamasaburo in the play Kazashi no hana Megumi no Takatsuna (Flower in Takatsuna's Hair), 1857, color woodblock print, major: graphics

Kou, from the series Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue) 1893-1903 Japan. Color woodblock print . Tsukioka Kôgyo

Actor Nakamura Nakazō I. Katsukawa Shunshō (Japan, 1726-1792). late 1770s. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Interior: a courtesan writing; another looking on. Origin: Japan. Period: Edo period. Date: 1760-1849. Color and gold on silk panel. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Courtesan and her Attendants under a Willow Tree 1796 Unch A high-ranking courtesan (oiran), accompanied by her teenage apprentice (shinz) and two child attendants (kamuro), promenade beneath a weeping willow in the spring. While the identity of the artist who signs himself “Unch” has yet to be determined, we may assume that he received his art name from the ukiyo-e artist Katsukawa Shunch. The two inscribers of the poetry above, Kyden and Bakin, are among the greatest popular writers of the day. They have both added Chinese and Japanese poetic phrases referring to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters. Kyden uses metaphors of willow trees and flowers; Bakin quotes a Chinese poem and then likens a courtesan to a thousand-armed Kannon bodhisattava in the service of men.. Courtesan and her Attendants under a Willow Tree. Unch (Japanese, active late 18th century). Japan. 1796. Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk. Edo period (1615-1868). Paintings

Courtesan and Attendant with a Cage of Fireflies. Artist: Ippitsusai Buncho (Japanese, active 1760-1794). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm); W. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm). Date: ca. 1770.Nishikigi and an attendant are captured before an open doorway as they stroll on a hot summer night. Their way is lit by lanterns in a wisteria arbor and by a cage of fireflies. Perhaps owing to the season, Nishikigi is not wearing the brocade costume suggested by her name but a silk kosode with abbreviated decorations of bamboo at the edges of the hem and sleeves. Her tiny arms are visible through the sheer fabric. The trailing ends of her obi, tied high above her waist, echo the curve of her body. The transitory nature of her profession is echoed by the banana-leaf design on the screen inside the room. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

A standing woman and a seated man are accompanied by an attendant. Created between 1801 and 1825, this woodcut is classified as a surimono

Sawamura Tanosuke as Princess Kiyo, 1868, 2nd lunar month, Toyohara Kunichika; Publisher: Kiya Sōjirō; Carver: Ōta Utakichi, Japanese, 1835 - 1900, 14 3/8 × 9 5/8 in. (36.51 × 24.45 cm) (image, vertical ōban), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century

Kunisada, B, C, work, Actors Saruzo Ichikawa Danjuro VIII, Seki Sanjuro III and Ichikawa Kodanji IV and Onoe Baiko in the play Mimasu no Date-zome (The Great Actor's Cloak), 1852-53, colored woodcut, graphics

Paradise of the First Performance (Kaomise): The Actors Bando Mitsugoro as Hotsuke Chobei and Ichikawa Monnosuke as Hirai Gonpachi. Date: 1831. Dimensions: 36 cm x 22 cm. Museum: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Author: UTAGAWA KUNISADA.

Three Yoshiwara women are gathered around a hibachi, while a fourth woman stands on the veranda outside, watching the first snowflakes of winter fall., 1776, Woodcuts, Image dimensions are 8 1/2 x 11 3/4 in. (21.6 x 29.8 cm)

Enjoying the Cool in a Garden. Kitagawa Utamaro (Japan, 1753-1806). circa 1790. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print, one sheet of a triptych

A Poet and Mount FujiFrom the Spring Rain Collection (Harusame shu), vol. 3. Artist: Yashima Gakutei (Japanese, 1786-1868). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 4 7/8 x 11 1/8 in. (12.4 x 28.3 cm). Date: ca. 1820s.Surimono are privately published woodblock prints, usually commissioned by individual poets or poetry groups as a form of New Year's greeting card. The poems, most commonly kyoka (witty thirty-one-syllable verse), inscribed on the prints usually include felicitous imagery connected with spring, which in the lunar calendar begins on the first day of the first month. Themes of surimono are often erudite, frequently alluding to Japanese literary classics in both texts and images.This album forms part of a set of three containing more than four hundred surimono. The prints are arranged on facing leaves according to themes or in a way that creates an attractive arrangement of designs, complementary in both color and shape. The printing techniques, pigments, and paper used for surimono w

A Modern day "Clear Mirror" 1822 Keisai Eisen Japanese. A Modern day "Clear Mirror". Keisai Eisen (Japanese, 1790-1848). Japan. 1822. Set of three woodblock printed books; ink and color on paper. Edo period (1615-1868). Illustrated Books

Saiko Hajime. Artist: Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 8 7/16 in. (21.4 cm); W. 14 7 /16 in. (36.7 cm). Date: ca. 1790. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

The Actors Sawamura Tossho in the Role of Horie Wankyu and Onoe Kakunosuke in the Role of Fan-seller ('men'uri'), right sheet of the diptych Autumn, from the series Four Seasons of Joruri. Date: sixth month 1862. Dimensions: 37 cm x 26 cm. Museum: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Author: TOYOHARA KUNICHIKA.

The oiran Utagawa and Nanasato with attendants in the house called Yotsumiya., 1783. Woodcuts, Half of double page spread from album. 15 x 10 in. (38.1 x 25.4 cm)

fine arts, Hokusai, Katsushika (1760 - 1849), graphic, wild coalescene, colour woodcut, circa 1810, private collection,

The Evening Glow of the Lamp: Eight ParlorViews. Artist: Suzuki Harunobu, Japanese, 1725-1770

Belt and Fan on a Piece of Cloth. Artist: Kubo Shunman (Japanese, 1757-1820). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 5 9/16 x 7 1/8 in. (14.1 x 18.1 cm). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Actors in a confrontation amid scaffolding. Colour woodcut by Kunikazu, early 1860s.

Akashi, 1853, 4th month, Utagawa Kunisada; Artist: Utagawa Hiroshige; Publisher: Iseya Kanekichi; Carver: Yokogawa Takejirō, Japanese, 1797 - 1858, 14 3/16 × 29 3/16 in. (36.1 × 74.2 cm) (vertical ōban triptych), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper, Japan, 19th century, Two women on a balcony espy Mitsuuji walking through the reeds at Akashi Bay. Hiroshige later reused his landscape design for a triptych showing Kanazawa Bay in his Eight Views of Kanazawa Bay in Moonlight (Buyō Kanazawa hasshō yakei) from 1857.

Theatre Scene, Utagawa Kunisada, (1786-1864/Japanese)

Two Women with Rice Cakes and Swords, right sheet of the triptych The Fifth Month, from the series Annual Celebrations of the Floating World. Date: 1844-1845. Dimensions: 38 cm x 26 cm. Museum: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Author: UTAGAWA KUNISADA.

Behind the Folding Screen, right sheet of a triptych. Date: 1849-1851v. Dimensions: 38 cm x 26 cm. Museum: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Author: UTAGAWA KUNISADA.

The First Nakamura Tomijuro in the Role of Izaemon 2nd month, 1771 Katsukawa Shunshō　川春章 Japanese. The First Nakamura Tomijuro in the Role of Izaemon 36885

Motoyui, Hair ties., Tachibana, Minko, active 1751-1771, artist, 1770., 1 print : woodcut, color ; 20.1 x 31.5 cm., Print shows an old man working with strands of yarn.

Actors in a confrontation under cherry blossom. Colour woodcut by Kunikazu, early 1860s.

Women Hanging Laundry to Dry on a Balcony, early 1790s. Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese, 1753-1806). Color woodblock print; sheet: 38.2 x 26 cm (15 1/16 x 10 1/4 in.).

Reading. Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) (Japan, Edo, 1786-1865). Japan, circa 1847-1852. Prints; woodblocks. Triptych; color woodblock prints

Toys of Papier-Mache Kubo Shunman Japanese 19th century

Entertainment Quarter Scenes. Japan, mid-17th century. Books; albums. Ink and color on paper

An oban triptych depicting a nocturnal scene with three actors before a Palanquin with illuminated lantern to the front. Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900). Woodblock print.

Mother and child behind mosquito netting by Harunobu Suzuki (1724-1770), a Japanese designer of woodblock print artist in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-colour prints in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of the and three colour prints.

Actor Segawa Kikunoj imaging Matsushima Kichisabur. Artist: Torii Kiyomasu II, Japanese, 1706-1763

Japan, Gyokusho, Kawabata, Xylophone, endpaper - stamped, Octagonal print from album with 39 prints., album sheet, print, prints, Japan (collection), height 223 mm, width 287 mm, 1842 - 1913, print maker, 1880 - 1890, fourth quarter 19th century, paper, color woodcut

Daibutsu-kuyo, from the series Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue) 1893-1903 Japan. Color woodblock print . Tsukioka Kôgyo

A Japanese official reads from a sheet of paper, while a man kneels in front of him. Gouache painting by a Japanese artist, ca. 1850.

On the bank of the Takinogawa River in Oji HIROSHIGE II, UTAGAWA (1826 1869)

Scene 1a, 1660, 1660, Japan, Manuscripts Japanese

Elderly man on the background of a huge toad Kunisada, UTAGAWA (1786 1864)

Entertainment Quarter Scenes. Japan, mid-17th century. Books; albums. Album of paintings; ink and color on paper

Fujimoto, from the series Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue) 1893-1903 Japan. Color woodblock print . Tsukioka Kôgyo

Chiyoda Castle (Album of Women) 1895 Ysh (Hashimoto) Chikanobu Japanese. Chiyoda Castle (Album of Women). Ysh (Hashimoto) Chikanobu (Japanese, 1838-1912). Japan. 1895. Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper. Meiji period (1868-1912). Prints

Kyōgen Scene. Yokoyama Kazan (Japan, 1784-1837). Japan, 19th century. Prints; woodblocks. Surimono; color woodblock print

Japan, Umenobu, Ryûshien, Kunisada (I), Utagawa, Samurai in the rain, verso - stamped, Night scene, with actor Onoe Kikugorô III (1784-1849) in the role of Soga no Jûrô Sukenari, in the rain with a swaaaaard in his hand. This scene is from the play Soga nakamura, performed at the Nakamura theater in Edo in 1825. With one poem. Left sheet of triptych., print, surimono, triptych, prints, Japan (collection), passe-partout, lower left - printed, height 188 mm, width 205 mm, Japanese, 1786 - 1865, print maker, printmaker, 1825 - 1825, first quarter 19th century, second quarter 19th century, paper, colour woodcut, blind stamping, poet

Bugaku Costume and Tachibana Branch. Japan, mid-19th century. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print; surimono, gold on paper

Oiran () were the courtesans of Edo period Japan. The oiran were considered a type of yujo () 'woman of pleasure' or prostitute. However, they were distinguished from the yujo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts. Their art and fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural aspects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day. The oiran arose in the Edo period (1600-1868). At this time, laws were passed restricting brothels to walled districts set some distance from the city center. In the major cities these were the Shimabara in Kyoto, the Shinmachi in Osaka, and the Yoshiwara in Edo (present-day Tokyo). These rapidly grew into large, self-contained 'pleasure quarters' offering all manner of entertainments. Within, a courtesan’s birth rank held no distinction, which was fortunate considering many of the courtesans originated as the daughters of impoverished families who wer

The Syllable "Ma". Katsukawa Shunshō (Japan, 1726-1792). Japan, circa 1772-1773. Prints; woodblocks. Color woodblock print

Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (Momoyogusa): Court Guard (Eishi), 1909. Kamisaka Sekka (Japanese, 1866-1942). Ink and color on paper; Kamisaka Sekka made preparatory drawings for his Flowers of a Hundred Worlds series on tracing paper with ink and color. The freehand sketches are much looser than the finished, printed compositions.

Ikushima Shingoro as a Bushi (Samurai) and Ogino Yaegiri as a Woman with A girl Attendant probably 1709 Okumura Masanobu Japanese. Ikushima Shingoro as a Bushi (Samurai) and Ogino Yaegiri as a Woman with A girl Attendant 36994

Jewels in the Cool Light of Evening Dew (Ryoko yotsuyu no rama). Kunisada Utagawa I; Japanese, 1786-1864. Date: 1859. Dimensions: 23.2 x 29.9 cm (9 1/8 x 11 3/4 in.). Color woodblock print; uchiwa-e. Origin: Japan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Party Held by a Meandering Stream, 19th century, Nakamura Hōchū, Japanese, died 1819, 11 3/8 × 23 5/8 in. (28.89 × 60.01 cm) (image)16 1/2 × 31 3/4 × 1 in. (41.91 × 80.65 × 2.54 cm) (outer frame), Ink, color, gold and silver on paper, Japan, 19th century

Woman playing samishen by Keisai Eisen, colour woodcut, 1820s, 1790-1848, Russia, Moscow, State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, 35, 7x24, 8

Princess Shikishi by Katsushika Hokusai, color woodcut, circa 1830, 1760-1849, Russia, St. Petersburg, State Hermitage

Two figures; one dancing, the other sitting., 1801 - 1825. Woodcuts., Paper / Sheet 7 7/8 x 15 1/16 in. (20 x 38.2 cm)

Hsiao I Obtaining the Lan-T'ing Calligraphy by Trickery (first image) and Prunus Blossoms (second image) Hsiao I Obtaining the Lan-T'ing Calligraphy by Trickery (first image) and Prunus Blossoms (second image), late 17th century. Ink and color on silk, With mount: 12 5/8 x 30 in. (32.1 x 76.2 cm). Asian Art late 17th century

Boy and two women Ryuryukyo, shinsai (1764 1820)

Nishiki-e were a type of multi-coloured woodblock prints from Japan. The technique was primarily used in Ukiyo-e, and was invented in the 1760s. Before, woodblock prints were usually in black-and-white and were coloured either by hand or with the addition of one or two colour ink blocks, but nishiki-e printing changed that. Nishiki-e was credited to an engraver named Kinroku, but it was popularised and perfected by Suzuki Harunobu. Nishiki-e is sometimes also known as Edo-e, and became very popular during the Meiji Period, especially during the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), where over 3,000 prints were made in the 9-month period.

Scenes from Comic Plays one of a pair, c. 1710, Hanabusa Itchō, Japanese, 1652 - 1724, 13 1/4 in. (33.66 cm), Ink, color, gold, and silver on paper, Japan, 18th century, Kyo_gen, literally 'wild words,' evolved as comic interludes devised as relief from the somber and philosophical themes of No_ performances. A down-to-earth, colloquial theatrical form, Kyo_gen characters highlight human foibles and frailties. This handscroll is one of a pair, each of which depicts scenes from eleven Kyo_gen plays. This section illustrates the climatic scene from the play 'Kubihiki,' in which the legendary warrior and strongman Minamoto Tametomo (1139-1170) is challenged by a demon-princess and her henchmen to various tests of his strength. Here, they engage in a spirited bout of tug-a-war.

The Peony Show. Artist: Torii Kiyonaga (Japanese, 1752-1815). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: Each sheet: 15 x 10 in. (38.1 x 25.4 cm). Date: ca. 1790. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Two actors from the Iwai family in the roles of a woman and a man under a flowering cherry tree Kunisada, UTAGAWA (1786 1864)

A game of Shogi in a garden, by Iwasa Matabei (1578-1650), Japan. Japanese Civilisation, 17th century.

Courtesan and Maid. Origin: Japan. Period: Edo period. Color and gold on silk. Date: 1769-1825. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Scroll II, 1501 - 1599

Japan, Jihei, Sugimura, Loving couple behind a room divider, Naked man and woman, half covered by a blanket with bird motif, make love behind a room divider, on which a dragon. On the right a poem., print, prent, shunga, prints, prenten, Japan (collection), height 136 mm, width 337 mm, Japanese, print maker, prentenmaker, 1740 - 1745, second quarter 18th century, third quarter 18th century, paper, colour woodcut

Asahina Saburo, a twelfth-century warrior noted for his strength, trying to drag Soga no Goro into the house of Tora no Oiso., 1769, Woodcuts, 11 x 8 in. (27.9 x 20.3 cm)

Kunisada, B, work, Actors Ichikawa Ichizo and Shiko in the play Irifune Soga Nihon no torikachi (The Soga clan conquers Japan), 1857, colored woodcut, graphics

True View of a Yokohama Mercantile House (Yokohama shokan shinzu) 1861 Japan. Color woodblock print; oban diptych (part of a triptych) . Utagawa Sadahide

Japan, Sanyô, Shibanoya, Sanyôdô II, Signboard with message, passe-partout, bottom left - printed, A signboard among the blossoming trees with a printed message underneath. The text on the signboard reads 'Made in the year of the dog, the 23rd year in the cycle of 60 years'. The paper message contains a poem in Chinese and two in Japanese., surimono, prints, Japan (collection), verso - stamped, height 207 mm, width 185 mm, Japanese, print maker, printmaker, 1826 - 1826, second quarter 19th century, paper, colour woodcut, colour woodblock, blind stamping, poet

Print ca. 1830 Yashima Gakutei Japanese. Print 54361

Heian Period Courtier on a Moonlit Beach 19th century Kobayashi Kiyochika Japanese. Heian Period Courtier on a Moonlit Beach 73579

Tokyo, Tsuruya Kinsuke (Sokakudo), Japan, Kunimasa, Utagawa, Double portrait of Iwai Kumesaburo and Iwai Kiyotaro, The actor Iwai Kumesaburo in the role of the nobleman Chikusanosuke, standing with a sword, and the actor Iwai Kiyotaro, in the female role as Princess Tamakoto, sitting with a bundle of branches. Scene from the play Hana o mimasu Yoshino no miyuki, performed at the Nakamura-za in 1798., print, prints, Japan (collection), height 366 mm, width 244 mm, 1773 - 1810, print maker, printmaker, 1798 - 1798, fourth quarter 18th century, paper, nishiki-e, colour woodcut, colour woodblock, Publication (Event), Publication, Japanese, publisher

Pan Lang (Han Rō), early 1600s. Unkoku Tōgan (Japanese, 1547-1618). One of a pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, light color, and gold on paper; image: 155.5 x 360 cm (61 1/4 x 141 3/4 in.); overall: 172 x 374 cm (67 11/16 x 147 1/4 in.).

Two Ladies in Foreground of Landscape Unidentified artist. Two Ladies in Foreground of Landscape 51611

Tokyo, Izumiya Ichibei (Kansendo), Japan, Kunisada (I), Utagawa, Actors from the play Gonin Otoko, verso - stamped, Five actors in the play Gonin Otoko; side by side, half-length, print, prints, Japan (collection), height 248 mm, width 359 mm, Japanese, 1786 - 1865, print maker, printmaker, 1851 - 1853, third quarter 19th century, paper, colour woodcut, Publication (Event), Publication, publisher

People standing on a bridge in Edo as a rickshaw passes by. Colour woodcut by Kiyochika, 1876.

Kataoka Gadô II ALS Akogi Heiji. Kataoka Heiji.

Drunken LiBo. Artist: Nakayama K?y?, Japanese, 1717-1780

Women Near a River. Artist: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797-1861). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: a) H. 14 7/8 in. (37.8 cm); W. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm)b): H. 14 3/4 in. (37.5 cm); W. 10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm)c): H. 14 13/16 in. (37.6 cm); W. 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm). Date: ca. 1850.In the 1840s and 50s Kuniyoshi was noted for portraying beauties in triptych format. His images of women gave a round, soft impression in 1840s, but an angular, harder impression in 1850s. The dominance of blue throughout the three sheets effectively highlights the touches of red in the women's clothing.Each of the three women is individually portrayed under pine trees in each sheet. On the other hand, the background of rivers and distant scenes, as well as the continuous foreground, connects the three beauties together. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Suzuki Harunobu (1724 July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints. Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images. During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.

During the Edo period (1603 - 1868), the Japanese clock was divided into twelve units of time, or hours, with each one named after one of the zodiacal symbols of the lunar calendar, and with the day being divided up into six daytime hours and six night-time hours. This woodblock print is taken from Kitagawa Utamaro's 1794-1795 ukiyo-e series 'Twelve Hours of the Green Rooms', sometimes styled 'Twelve Hours of the Yoshiwara', featuring everyday events in the lives of courtesans in Edo's Yoshiwara pleasure district. It is the Hour of the Snake, around ten oclock. An apprentice indulges the courtesan, her mistress, by offering a bowl of tea as she finishes her bath.

Koroho no yuki, Snow on Mt. Koro., Kubo, Shunman, 1757-1820, artist, between 1795 and 1805, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 16.3 x 30.5 cm (image), x 35.6 x 45.5 cm (mount), Fan-shaped print shows two court ladies on the veranda.

Suzuki Harunobu (1724 July 7, 1770) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints. Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties (bijin, bijin-ga). Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images. During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown.

The Six Immortal Poets. Date: late 18th-early 19th century. Origin: Japan. Period: Edo period. Ink and color on paper. Museum: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

Ichikawa Danjūrō II in the Role of Soga Gorō from the Play "Yanone" ca. 1790 Torii Kiyonaga Japanese The Torii school dominated the production of prints of Kabuki actors in the eighteenth century. The fourth grandmaster of the Torii school, Kiyonaga, copied this image from a print by Torii Kiyonobu II (1706-1763). The poem at the top of the print was inscribed by Danjūrō V, a contemporary of Kiyonaga. As shown here, Danjūrō II (1688-1758) performs the role of Soga Gorō, a portrayal that made him a superstar as a swaggering aragoto actor. The print captures the dramatic moment when Soga Gorō, sharpening an arrow, has a vision of the danger that threatens his elder brother.. Ichikawa Danjūrō II in the Role of Soga Gorō from the Play "Yanone" 37015

Eboshi-ori, from the series Pictures of No Performances (Nogaku Zue) 1893-1903 Japan. Color woodblock print . Tsukioka Kôgyo

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